Pew: Older Demos Drive Mobile News Growth

Just as broadcasters are looking to adopt a more mobile, interactive standard for TV transmissions, a Pew Research Center study has found that 85% of U.S. adults have gotten news from a mobile device, up from 72% last year and 54% in 2013.

The growth has been driven by older demos accessing more mobile news, Pew noted.

Two-thirds of those 65 and older said they get news on a mobile device (67%), up 24 percentage points in just one year. and three times the number who said they did in 2013, Pew said.

Among those ages 50-65, 79% get news on a mobile device.

The older demos are playing catch-up, as more than nine in 10 of those ages 18-49 get news on a mobile device, a figure unchanged from 2016.

Lower-income Americans are also increasing their mobile news use, with about 80% of those making under $30,000 a year saying they get news on mobile devices, twice the number in 2013.

The study was conducted March 13-27 among 4,151 respondents. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.